The country's biggest convention on tourism and entrepreneurship featured talks on emergent trends and the need for sustainability in the field
An audience nearly 10,000-strong made its way to the World Trade Centre in Pasay City on 2 May 2019 for what is considered the country's biggest summit for tourism and entrepreneurship.
Spearheaded by the Philippine Centre for Entrepreneurship (a GoNegosyo initiative) and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council - Philippines in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), Tourism Summit 2019 presented how the tourism and hospitality sectors have contributed to the national economy and how the industry stands as a pillar for even greater inclusive growth.
In his opening address, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and GoNegosyo founder Joey Concepcion spoke of how the abundance of natural resources in the Philippines can be used to create enterprises and livelihood opportunities for the Filipino people, but also need to be protected from environmental damage.
"In the Philippines, we have over 7,000 islands, each of which has its own potential," he said. "All of these islands are jewels that were gifted to us. But the key here is that we have to protect these assets. If these are destroyed, then we lose our tourists. That said, sustainability is the key for us to preserve these assets."
Concepcion also noted that, given the growing need for international cooperation and collaboration among the nations within the ASEAN Region, improving the state of tourism within Southeast Asia would call for a united effort among all ten member nations.
"It can't just be the Philippines," he said. "ASEAN has to attract tourists; we have to work together to help our nations prosper. We are all committed to make ASEAN a powerhouse in tourism, one from which all of us will benefit."
For her part, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat cited the economic impact of the tourism industry on the national economy, seeing how it contributed Php 1.929 trillion or 12.2 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), and has generated over 5.3 million jobs or about 13.1 per cent of the total national workforce. Also, considering the closure of the resort island of Boracay for much of 2018, there were over 7 million tourist arrivals last year, marking a 7 per cent improvement from 2017.
Romulo-Puyat, however, was quick to state, "If we are to sustain these numbers, we need to present the Philippines as a quality destination for the rest of the world." This long-term goal means prioritising four key areas: adequate infrastructure, ease in travel facilitation, safety and security, as well as the development of tourist destinations throughout the country.
Along with Concepcion and Romulo-Puyat, other keynote speakers at the event were AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Anthony "Tony" Fernandes and Thailand's Arin Jira, chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council for 2019.
